Black People : 'Amistad' slavery panel still sitting in dry dock

A state commission set up by Gov. Pataki six months ago to study how best to teach New York public school kids about slavery has gone nowhere. Pataki created the Amistad Commission in August, but officials have named just one of 19 members and held no meetings.

"That's amazing," said Candace DeRussy, a State University of New York trustee and one of many critics who originally opposed the panel because it would be made up of political appointees, not academics. "Perhaps that is for the best, because I think the composition of the commission ought to be reconsidered."

Under a law signed by Pataki in August, the panel must have 19 unpaid members - eight appointed by him and eight picked by the Assembly and Senate.

The remaining three members are state Education Commissioner Richard Mills, SUNY Chancellor John Ryan and Acting Secretary of State Frank Milano, who serves as executive director.

Pataki and the Assembly haven't tapped any members; the Senate has named just one - a Long Island lawyer.

"We are still looking for qualified people who want to do this," said Pataki spokesman Kevin Quinn.

And when the commission, named for the slave ship Amistad, will be up and running is a mystery.

"All parties are continuing to look for people with the qualifications and desire to serve. When that process is completed, I look forward to taking up my responsibilities in chairing the commission's work," Milano said.

"Slavery does not play a major role in the curriculum for the New York State Regents," said Louise Mirrer, president of the New-York Historical Society, which is currently hosting the exhibit "Slavery in New York."

"We are booking school groups every 15 minutes because there has been such a huge demand," she said. "This exhibit has filled a void for a large number of students," she said.

Although schools are required to teach slavery, how comprehensive their coverage is varies widely.

Unlike most schools, the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem fills the curriculum with information about slavery - both in New York and abroad. Freshmen read a biography about the abolitionist before they start school, and teachers touch on slavery in U.S. history and global studies courses.

Teens at Frederick Douglass said they were so informed about the topic that they expected to ace a section about it on a state Regents exam in American history. But there was only a handful of questions on the subject, they said. "I was surprised," said Asafoakye Nyantakyi, a sophomore.

This is why Black folks need to stop making derogatory references to "slave" mentality and "slave" language...too many of us don't know the history...let alone are prepared to control how the topic is discussed and what gets taught to new generations....

Contrast that with Jews....who control even the discussion of the holocaust to the point that in some countries you go to JAIL for denying the holocaust....

Nearly four years after New York State passed a law creating a commission to promote the teaching of black history in public schools, the commission has never met, and 5 of its 19 seats have yet to be filled. For many educators and parents, the Amistad Commission, named after a slave ship seized by its captives, has become a modern-day symbol of bureaucratic inertia.

“New York, a pivotal state in African-American history, has not taken the lead here and we’re languishing,” said Manning Marable, a Columbia University professor of history and public affairs who was the first member appointed to the Amistad Commission. “It’s not just for black people, it’s for everyone. You can’t teach the history of this country effectively without teaching the contributions and experiences of black people.”

The Amistad Commission was modeled after a similar state commission in New Jersey that was established by a 2002 law requiring state schools to make black history part of the required curriculum. At least five other states — Florida, Arkansas, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan — have also adopted legislation requiring or encouraging the teaching of black history in schools, often along with the experiences of other minority groups, according to the Education Commission of the States.....